A Helping Hand

As I stood up to go to my first class Wednesday morning, I heard my phone ringing deep within my purse. Deciding that I had time to take a quick call before starting class, I answered. B told me that he was at loose ends today, so he was coming to my house to do the gardening in the front yard. I was speechless: my front yard was so overgrown that doing yardwork was going to be a huge undertaking. I demurred, explaining that B didn't have to do that, but he said, "You cannot do it, but you'll try to do it, and then you'll hurt yourself again. Forget it: I'm on my way."

My front yard was so overgrown that there was no longer a path through the vegetation; half the sidewalk was hidden under the creepers; the brick outline of the middle section was completely covered in sand; and the front door could no longer be used as either an entrance or an exit as it was ferociously guarded by an out-of-control bougainvilla bush!
Believe me when I say I was flabbergasted when I drove into the driveway at the end of my workday. B was working with his Lady L, and both of them were covered in sweat and sand. The piles of debris were huge, the result of cutting down all the vegetation to stumps with a few leaves clinging valiantly to what's left. The pathway through the front yard is now so wide that troops could hold maneuvers!

B told me that if I blogged about it, I would exaggerate, and I told him "no way," I'll just tell the truth about the massacre at Liza Land. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Okay, so the translation is actually wow: the front yard looks so good! I cannot believe how much work they did and what a difference it makes in the landscaping.

B and his Lady came back Thursday to finish up (yeah, there really is that much gardening to do), including shoveling up the doggie doo in the doggie run. We should have had a pool on how much product there is since I haven't been out in about 2 months. I do know that there is so much poo that I can smell it from the front yard, not a good way to impress the neighborhood.

I was at the dr office in the morning for my final injection and a consultation to determine if a partial knee replacement is in my future or a life of constant nagging pain from the torn meniscus or a middle ground that I can live with and not have to take pain pills every 4 hours. We're coming up on a full year since the injury, and that's too long to live with constant pain and increasing knee instability. Basically, the injections have done for the bone erosion what they are going to do, with maximum benefit coming in another 4 weeks. The effects of the injection will slowly wear off as the lubricant is absorbed into my body, at which time I'll have the torn meniscus repaired again, and then have a partial knee replacement or another round of injections. Perhaps there will come a day -- soon -- when I'll be able to keep up my own house and property again!

I not only am thankful to B for being a part of my life, but I am also grateful for the help that B gives repeatedly and always with a smile. Thanks, B, and your Lady L.

Falling for the New Season

I entered the new line-ups into my DVR and have been slowly working my way through the new shows, but it seems to me that they are old shows with new casts. I've deleted more new shows than I've saved because if they don't make a good first impression, I'm not impressed.

I watched CHASE, but won't watch it again: the summer US Marshal show was much better, with Mary and Marshal Marshall stiking sparks off each other. Under Covers is ... inane. Lone Star is ... wow, I cannot think of a word to capture "what the hell were you thinking when you filmed this show?" I love The Glades, but it's almost finished its late summer run; another fav, Miami Medical, was just gone one week. The new Miami 5-0 is pretty good, but could just as easily be any of the CSI, L&O, NCIS shows set in a different locale. Flashback is one of the best of the cop genre, but it may be heading off-schedule, too. I watched Blue Bloods for Tom Selleck, who is aging nicely.

Glee always has unbelievable/mediocre storylines, but the singing is nice. Castle would never be in a second season if success depended on good storytelling, rather than the charisma shared by Castle and Beckett. House has gone on far too long, so I wait until the endless summer reruns for that boredom-breaker. Some of the other good shows are supposed to return about January, including The Closer and Rizzoli and Isles, both of which feature strong women in strong roles.

I enjoy the cooking/cake shows, but cannot fathom why some of the contestants last past the first week of temper tantrums, melt-downs, and tasteless food. The latest one, the dessert show, drives me crazy with the pastry chef who runs around the kitchen like a chicken with his head cut off, getting in everyone else's way, and then bursts into tears because ... wait for it ... the red hots were his mother's favorite candy. OMG: make room for some real chefs, please. Duff's road trip has been a hoot, and the Ace of Cakes must be ready to move into the larger bakery and/or hack off his sister's head and use it as a cake-topper. How anyone can put up with Mary and her mother is beyond me. Thankfully, most of the cupcake shows are gone, but the contests to see who can make the biggest, gaudiest theme cake are thriving. Carrie Ann, the acerbic judge whose work has never been showcased, boils everyone's best efforts down to sloppy fondant, poor execution, or "it looks like a wedding cake." I'll bet she's never been in the position to do anything well under pressure, and I'll double dare that she's one hell of a bitch to work for.

It's only the last week in September, but the new season has already decided what's going to make it to the spring and which shows are going to fold. Me, too. Maybe I'll sign up for NetFlix afterall: my new TV has an option to download movies directly, which could be a nice option if I can figure out how to do that.

A Decade of Deciduous Growth

I relocated 10 years ago to my present abode, bringing my worldly possessions with me. For the most part, life has been good for me, especially retiring in the middle of a recession, but still working part-time. Economics are not that difficult if consumers keep one principle firmly in mind: do not spend what you do not have. I live well within my means, resisting the urge to move up a few years ago into a more prestigous neighborhood, while also realizing that owning 2 automobiles was not, perhaps, as cost effective as I could be during hard financial times. Hence, I prestiged the home I own and traded in 2 vehicles for the new RAV.

The best laid plans sometimes get messed with by means beyond our control, but if we have a cushion stashed away, we can often weather those storms. My storms since the beinning of the New Year have been many: new washing machine, new microwave (the 2nd in 3 years), 2 new windshields for the cars I later sold, as well as 2 full sets of new tires, and yesterday, a new phone with answering machine. My intent was to stay with what I have, but when I went to the battery section of a local store, I found that I can purchase a brand-new phone, with digital recording and many, many other needless feature, that includes a new battery for $20. The new battery for my old phone would have cost the same amount, so now I have a new phone.

The old saw used to be that we "nickel and dime" ourselves to death, but my recent experience is costing me in the hundreds of dollars each time something else needs to be replaced! I will admit that I bought the new flat screen TV just because I wanted it, but ... my old technology was old and probably going to go out suddenly with all the power surges we've been enjoying.

In the neighborhoods, fires are starting in the power poles, such as the one at the back of my property obscured by an out-of-control tree. No one lives in the adjoining property, so the tree must be in a septic tank to be flourishing without water. It's time for the leaves to turn, fall off, and gather at the base of the tree ... and no one is there to clean up after the tree sheds its foliage. The pole has a transformer and many little appendages that I cannot identify, so I'm sure it gets pretty darned hot when we all have our electronics plugged in and making our lives more comfortable. We talk about infrastructure, but we somehow forget about the power poles shrouded in leaves at the backs of our properties.

This was a new, sparse neighborhood a decade ago, houses widely-spread and vegetation newly-planted. Then came the growth spurt during which new houses popped up like microwave popcorn. Each of the homes contains not just a family, but an electronic family that uses electrical current far beyond what was imagined when the communities were settled. I don't know if there has ever been an upgrade to the power lines and equipment at the back of my property, but I have never seen a crew in the area doing any work on "my" pole. If there were to be a pole fire, the neighbors have effectively blocked access to it by extending their brick walls and wooden fences to include the easement -- so I guess it would burn and take with it what it's going to use for fuel, including all those shabby wooden fences we old-timers call kindling. The fire departments remind us several times a year to keep the vegetation away from our property during fire season, but I've never been told to clear the power pole.

I'm not going to unplug my life, but I am going to keep an eye on the power pole, I'll never be a pole dancer, but I sure as heck can become a darned good pole watcher!

The Worst Walk Ever

This morning, I met "the gals" for b'fast, which meant I didn't walk the dogs as the sun was rising in the east. I brought them home 1/2 of my cheese omelet, which they devoured as I changed into my walking gear. As we headed up the street, the traffic coming down was in a steady stream; as we turned the corner at the top of the block, it was a speedway; when I cut the walk short by turning down the street with sidewalks, we were almost run over by kids on their bikes racing down the sidewalk on their way to school.

To top if off, Mia stopped at every bush she could find, not to potty, but to sniff. When she stops, Daisy stops, and getting both of them headed in the same direction again takes almost more energy than I have these days. Needless to say, I cut the walk shorter still and we had not just the shortest walk ever, but the worst walk.

My mind is filled with a great big huge WHAT???? I had the second injection this week and asked a couple of questions about what we're doing and why we're doing it. Last week, with no explanation, my request for a copy of the previous surgery report was firmly denied, perhaps because the first item on the new MRI report says "Surgery was unsuccessful," referring to the procedure I had April 21, 2010. No way does the new team want to be involved in anything I may consider involving the previous surgeon, so they washed their hands of prior agreement to fax the request to the surgeon for his formal surgery report.

It also doesn't state that there is arthritis in my kneecap, but, suddenly, this week there is "severe arthritis," where last week it was "severe erosion" in the kneecap that may require a partial knee replacement. This week it was okay to talk about a meniscus repair, while last week it was a "wait and see" process involving the injection of the lubricant before making a meniscus decision because if the lubrication process does not work, a partial knee replacement is warranted. This week, no mention of the knee replacement possibility.

I'm confused. This week I was told that "many people" choose to live with the torn meniscus, adapting to the condition. When I again mentioned the excruciating pain associated with that decision, suddenly it was okay to talk to the doctor about the surgery. WHAT? Should I have the tear repaired; wait to see if the damage to the knee evidenced by the "severe erosion" is going to be a factor; or should I seek yet another orthopedic surgeon's opinion? If I wanted this same run-around, I probably could have stayed with the surgeon who ignored the fractures in my knee and performed the unsuccessful surgery. I think this team went into "keep us out of it" mode and is deliberately side-stepping any comment that could be construed as negative toward the other doctor. They do cover each other's backs, even when they know that the doctor is mediocre on his best day.

So, here I sit. I cannot walk without the brace, but I'm so not going to wear this for the rest of my life! I'm not very steady on my feet because the torn meniscus contributes to my leg giving way suddenly and/or locking up, and that causes me to fall, but I'm not going to use crutches/walkers for the rest of my life. If I need to have a partial knee replacement, why would I first have the torn meniscus repaired in a separate surgery, and why would I consent to injections to treat the "severe erosion" in my kneecap if I planned to open it up to fix the meniscus?

I'm going to try to have this conversation again next week when the final injection is given. The effectiveness of the series of injections won't be fully realized for another 4 weeks, but they don't address the pain from the torn meniscus, so why did I have them?

Oh, and that's right: all of the changes resulting from the new health care legislation went into effect yesterday! Hurrah??

Hopalong and the Posse

The dogs and I are going for our walk in the morning. Yes, I’ll be wearing the knee brace, but leaving the crutches/walker at home as today’s ortho appointment provided the good news that the fractures in my kneecap are basically healed. However, the meniscus is torn again and there are some other issues that may lead to a partial knee replacement surgery at the end of the semester, but the doctor said that if walking the dogs is the only over-extending that I do, go ahead. I can elevate/ice when I get back from our walk and keep off my feet as much as possible the rest of the day.

I’m having a series of 3 injections designed to “lubricate” the knee area and provide more ease of use with less pain, but there’s going to be pain until the meniscus is repaired again. I have to continue to depend on the crutches/walker when I have to be on my feet for extended periods of time, so that’s what I’ll do.

Because these past few months have been stressful and I’m looking forward to more couch time in the near future, I drove to the big box discount store before heading home and bought a 37” flat screen TV. B came over and installed it for me after first removing the 50# dinosaur I’ve had for at least a decade. I was totally excited to have the energy-efficient LED HDTV with wi-fi access and a ratio of 1,000,000:1 (something to do with clarity of picture), but was duped by the sale’s person who told me it came ready for me to do my email on the TV screen. Okay, so he was sorta/kinda telling the truth, but the way he presented it did not include that I can use the TV as a computer monitor IF I plug my computer into the back of the TV screen. I did sign in to Yahoo as prompted on-screen, and that allowed me to download some apps (Yahoo weather and news), but not do my email or anything else remotely resembling “using my computer” from the couch.

I was totally excited about my purchase until … I realized that when I selected the HD channels, the picture suddenly was ½ the size of the big 37” screen. Thus, people who pay the big bucks for the 60” screen probably get a picture the size of my 37” screen, while I’m now getting a picture about the size of the little 19” screen I have in my bedroom! Yeah, I tried using both the “wide” and the “panorama” screen options, but then all the people looked like Sumo wrestlers with pinheads!! I do, however, have a very wide, very black band of nothing all around the mini-screen size, but I’d prefer to have the picture extending from top to bottom and side to side as it did on the dinosaur. Not going to happen, so let it go, right?

I’ve been coping for many months with what is and must continue to cope for at least another 3 months, so I'm doing my life one step at a time, checking carefully to assure that it’s okay to step … there … before I do so. And I always remind myself that this, too, shall pass eventually, so suck it up and move on because once we finally resolve the issues with the right knee, we're probably going to have to resolve the issues with my left hip because it's crashed with all the additional weight-bearing and work it's been doing. No good deed goes unpunished.

What the Surgeon Missed

This is the part of the March 18 MRI report that the ortho surgeon must not have read:

Joint Space, Articular Surfaces and Osseous Structures: There is a prominent marrow edema contusion/microtrabecular fracture throughout the medial femoral condyle with an epicenter at the weight-bearing surface medial femoral condyle adjacent to the body of the meniscus where there is particularly focal marrow edema and a subchondral plate fracture.

Additionally there is a subarticular cortical cyst at the posterior medial tibial plateau that ordinarily would be considered chronic, however there is marrow edema around it indicative of abnormal biomechanical stress and likely impaction.

The constellation of findings of marrow edema, subcortical stress fracture and impaction injury to the medial femoral condyle and similar question relative to the posterior medial tibial plateau is reminiscent of the constelltion of findings that occur with ACL rupture in the lateral compartment so that this must be a rotational impaction injury of the same type, although in this case there is a normal ACL.

Listed in order are the three major findings, typed in ALL CAPS and bolded in the original MRI report:

1. Broad horizontal cleavage tear, meniscal root through posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus.
2. Prominent impaction/contusion/microtrabecular fracture injury to the weight-bearing surface of medial femoral condyle with subchondral plate fracture.
3. Associated likely rotational impaction, subarticular cyst and marrow edema involving posterior medial tibial plateau.

The surgeon fixated on the meniscus tear to the exclusion of the rest of the MRI report. I'd like to know why? Why would an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knee injuries fail to address the total injury? After all, there are only 3 findings, so it's not like it would have taken him that long to read 2 and 3 after reading 1.

I'll know next Thursday the results of today's MRI, which will include a comparison with the March 18 exam. I have no idea what to do about the failure of the doctor to read the complete March 18 MRI report and address the injuries detailed in it. I have no idea what to do about a licensed physician who prescribes hydrotherapy, ice/heat for the swelling, pain medication, walking, and cortisone injection for arthritis (not mentioned in the MRI, by the way), and physical therapy for the tendonitis -- that is, ironically, mentioned in the March 18 MRI report: "The quadricepts/patellar tendon extensor mechanism is normal." Voila: no tendonitis, regardless of the surgeon's vast years of experience.

If only he had been as thorough in prescribing appropriate treatment for what is in the report, instead of winging it based on his 30 years of experience, I probably would be long past this injury, not starting over.

Do No Harm

Yesterday was a mixed blessing: on the one hand, I know what has been wrong with my right leg since last Thanksgiving, but, on the other hand, I am dumbfounded that it took until the first of September to know that critical information. The first three doctors I consulted took the “wait and see” approach to my medical complaint, and the fourth doctor used part of an MRI to address the most obvious issue, but totally ignored my questions, my concerns, and my direct confrontation as I tried to make him listen to me when I repeatedly told him that he was not addressing the pain I was expressing. I was right all along, but that is little comfort.

The first doctor diagnosed a “sprain” and recommended ice/heat/elevation. The second doctor ordered an ultrasound to determine if there was tissue damage, but the results of that procedure didn’t show anything. The third doctor ordered a bone x-ray, which was inconclusive. The final doctor ordered the MRI, which clearly showed damage to the meniscus, and did the surgery to correct that issue. What all of the doctors refused to hear was my constant complaint about the very contained, very specific pain in my right knee area. I repeatedly said, “it’s not my kneecap,” as I put my fingers on the side of my right leg to indicate an area about 5 inches in length. The pain was intensely hot, throbbing pain that often felt as if it were bleeding inside my leg. For the first couple of weeks after the meniscus surgery, the pain seemed to be almost gone – but that, I know today, was a false positive sign, the result of both pain medication and staying off my feet post-op.

Yesterday, I took my time line, surgery photos, MRI report, and my personal notes with me. I asked if I could just explain what happened, the treatment options that have not worked, and then describe my very contained, very specific pain issue. This time, the medical professional listened, rather than filling the air with medical babble designed to make me feel foolish. This time, the doctor went back to the original MRI and found the very obvious, very over-looked answer to my medical problem—both the good news and the bad news.

My meniscus was torn, but in the next paragraph was another issue of equal importance that was never addressed: microtrabecular fractures of the right femur. My leg should have been immobilized and given a chance to mend; instead, I have been urged to exercise, partake in physical therapy, rely on pain medication to function, and accept the doctors' repeatedly incorrect diagnoses and treatment plans, including the site injection last week. My repeated expressed concerns about the intensifying pain were ignored, masked with “take more drugs.” My repeated expressed concerns about the specific local pain site were ignored, brushed aside with a ballpark “arthritis” discussion. My repeated expressed pleas for another MRI to show my knee post-surgery were ignored, to be used as a last resort after I completed 4 weeks of physical therapy 3 times a week – a prescription that is contra-indicated by the existing fractures.

Today, I will be fitted for the hinged knee brace I will use for the next 6 months, pick up the walker I will use for the next 6 months, and go for the MRI. Next week, my new medical professional will assess the current medical condition of my right leg and determine how best to proceed. She has warned me that it probably will take 6 months for the fractures to heal, which means wearing the brace unless I’m sleeping; using the walker until further notice; and, perhaps, enduring another surgery. Her examination of the knee area indicates structural concerns that have developed because my fractured bone is not able to support my weight and activity level, and that’s why the knee has been suddenly locking up and/or giving way and I’ve been tripping, stumbling, and falling. Of course, each time my leg has buckled, I’ve basically reinjured the fracture site, so the cycle has been repeating for 9 months!!

What’s done is done. I am literally going to take this one step at a time because I am to stay off my feet as much as possible: no weight-bearing unless it’s necessary. I can continue to work with restrictions: stay on a flat surface, use the walker, sit down. I have different pain meds that I must take as part of the healing process is the absence of pain, which exacerbates stress, and that affects healing, as well as my diabetes.

I’m mentally composing the letter to the surgeon and looking for “Report the Doctor” websites. Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of the entire process is that if he had merely read the entire MRI report, he would have known about the fractures. He went for the obvious, for the quick-fix that pays his rent, and he did it at my expense. The incredible, on-going, ever-increasing pain of the past 9 months will not be easily forgotten, nor the physical limits to what I can do, nor the depression that has come along with the inability to get a medical professional to listen to me.

I won’t finish composing that letter until I have the follow-up appointment next week.

Economic Perspective

The economy must be improving, based on my limited experience with random sampling. For instance, both last week and again this morning, I found money thrown on the street. Last week, it was 2 quarters and a penny; this morning, it was 3 quarters and a penny. Thus, if people have money to throw into the street, they must be better off financially than the media leads us to believe.

The second experience involves the newly-turned 14-year-old next door who told me that she doesn't like carrying a backpack to school, so she's taking the bus to the mall today to purchase a book bag. Well, I replied, I have a white leather tote that might work for you. Would you like to take a look at it?

It's not her style, which is okay, but I also have a small "backpack" styled black leather purse that I don't use, so I asked her if she'd like to take a look at it, too. When she agreed, I pulled it out of my closet and she laughed. In her own words, "That is one ugly, cheap-ass purse! Why don't you put it out at the curb and see if anyone will pick it up?"

No, thanks. That "ugly, cheap-ass purse" cost me $60, so I'm not going to put it out at the curb, but it must be nice that they have money to burn and do put things they don't want/like out at the curb. I always donate to the homeless shelters and the missions that recycle the things I no longer can wear and/or use, but whatever works.

Her comments may have been a reaction to my telling her and her mother that I am not going to be able to take them to do errands more than once a week, and then only locally. I again stressed that I do all my errands while I'm on the road to and from my work, so have no need to be running here and there the rest of the week.

Now that we're even, let's call this game off. And, yes, I picked the money up and put it into my pocket. I don't have money to throw away, but even if I did, I'm far too conservative to think that there's going to be more growing on the tree in the backyard!

Face Plant

In the middle of the night, I awoke suddenly, feeling sick from head to toe, and made the dash for the bathroom. A couple of more times I had to repeat the trip at a run, but finally fell back asleep and stayed that way until 6:30 this morning. No walking the dogs; no doing much of anything. I'm not sure what bug found me in the middle of the night, but it is accompanied by body aches and pains from head to toe, as well as flop sweat, and my constant companion, the throbbing on the inside of my right knee.

When the phone rang at 7 am and I saw the caller, I knew another problem was going to be thrust at me, one I have been anticipating, but dreading. My next-door neighbor does not have transportation, so I offered to take her to the grocery store one morning, which ended up being a grocery store that required a round trip of 35 miles, rather than a quick stop at the store down the street. I addressed that issue, but there's always a loophole for a person who knows how to take advantage of a person who just wants to do the right thing and help those less fortunate. So, the other evening, it was a phone call to take the daughter to the grocery store so they could eat dinner. Yesterday, I was on my way out to do my shopping/errands, and I saw the Mom standing on the street, so asked her if she needed a ride. Yes, she was on her way to the college, the same direction I was heading, so I took her to the campus, left her to find her own way home, then came back to my errands before returning home.

This morning, it was a request to run her daughter to the bus stop. The mother petitioned for the daughter to attend another high school in the same district due to a fight with a girl at the local middle school and all the baggage that goes along with that situation. The petition was granted, but that's contingent upon the family having transportation to the other high school, which is 15 miles on the other side of the freeway, which they did have when they petitioned, but no longer have. Thus, the girl has to ride the city bus, and that means she has to be on the main street through town no later than 7:10. She wasn't going to make it this morning, but neither was I. This handwriting has been on the wall all summer, and I've been dreading being asked, but I knew it was coming -- just thought it would take longer than the 5th day of school to arrive.

I said no, I'm not dressed and I don't feel well. I'm still not dressed and I still don't feel well, and it's been a couple of hours since she called, but whether I'm dressed or not, feel well or not, I'm being taken advantage of and I don't like it.

I've schlepped them to the library; I've schlepped them to do their back-to-school shopping; I've schlepped them to the grocery stores, the phone store, the recycling center, and to a fast-food drive-through, as well as their bank; I've taken the mother to her college class. So far, I've received one "thank you," and that was tossed at me as the door shut yesterday after I dropped off the mom. Gas money would be nice as I've mentioned a couple of times that because I am driving 2 tanks of gas each week to work, I am not going to be able to make any extra trips outside of being on the road for work. I can stop on my way home to do my own shopping, so do not want to become someone else's taxi service!

This is another irritant on an already full week that has included becoming involved in situations that are work-related that began innocently, but ended up involving way too many people who actually had no reason to be "copied" in on my original message. Rather than just getting a simple response, we had to do what I call the "whip," sending email messages from one office to another to another. All that does is create too many cooks in the kitchen, each one of whom tries to improve the original recipe. By the time we were all finished, it wasn't worth the time or the effort we all gave to the issue!!

The bottom line is that I've done the face plant into the wall. I'm done for the day and it's only 9 am. I'm going to soak in the tub for a while, take a couple more aspirins for the body aches and pains, as well as what seems to be a fever, and plan on a nap for early afternoon. Some days, it really does not pay to get out of bed, and today is one of those days.

Cats 'n Dogs 'n Combat

The other morning, I opened the door into the garage so we could round up the harnesses and leashes for the morning walk. Both dogs took off into the garage, growling, barking, and attacking the shelving. There was no stopping them, but I had no idea what had set them off until I heard the loud growl from behind the stored items.

I usually leave the garage door open a few inches so the heat doesn't build up and keep the air conditioning running when it's not that hot in the house. Evidently, one of the many cats that has taken up residence in our front yard decided to check out the garage and became trapped inside when I came home late from work and forgot to leave the garage door open a bit. There was cat poop on the floor and evidence that the cat had clawed at a bag of dog food I store in the garage, so it had been trapped in the garage for a while.

Daisy climbed the shelves, running from one end to the other, determined to get the cat before it could escape. Mia pawed smaller items out of her way and her bark was enough to deafen. The brawl ensued until I was finally able to get a handle on Mia's collar and drag her back into the house, and then trapped Daisy as she crawled under the car after the cat that was headed for the garage door. I couldn't open the garage door to let the cat out without sending Mia and Daisy after it, so had to corral my dogs before I did anything else.

Believe it: after refffing this mess and saving the cat's life, there was no walk.

Today, it was a dog fight: I put down the plastic package from a pre-cooked chicken that I cut apart for this week's lunch, and Mia got to it first. Both dogs love the chicken skin and the "juice" that pools at the bottom of the plastic, so I let them share it. When Daisy came over for a taste, Mia pounced on her as if she was the most dreaded enemy within 100 miles!! Talk about a fight! Mia tipped the chicken grease over and then slammed Daisy into it, both of them locked in combat and sliding around on the greasy tiles, so when I tried to peel Daisy out of the combat zone, I couldn't hang onto her.

Daisy finally got herself away from Mia, but she's covered in chicken grease, which actually is allowing her to bathe herself pretty much from head to toe. Mia got sick from trying to inhale the chicken skin and grease, and threw up on the patio, but maybe that's just payback for not being very nice and sharing with Daisy.

I've had enough of the Pet Wars for one week, so gave both dogs a chew stick and sent them to neutral corners to chill while I eat my lunch.